An Allegory
by venatianwings
Summary: Ron. Hermione. An ancient castle and…non existent geography? To be posted in three
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Summary: Ron. Hermione. An ancient castle and…non existent geography? (To be posted in three installments.)

I'm sorry, just _cannot _summarize this- why don't you try?

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A/n: this is the first multi-chapter fic I'm putting up. Though I personally prefer and feel more secure, writing one-shots, I assure you, however weird it may seem, this story has a plot. A unique one, if I may say so.

Beware- _all is not what it seems_…

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This one's for you elixirgurl!

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**_An Allegory _**

By

Venatianwings

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Chapter One

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"I-i-i- er- I might, I mean- i-…"

It was here! The_ moment_ they'd been waiting for, for seven long torturous, guilt-ridden years…

Hermione waited patiently for Ron Weasley to finish his sentence.

"you no, I don't think- see- I-I , well, i-that is-"

It did seem a long time coming though….

Hermione sighed.

"Alright. I-OUCH!" yelled Ron suddenly, clutching his head, which felt like someone had just mercilessly dropped Hagrid's teakettle on it. He turned around wildly to see who had hit him, but felt his knees give way beneath him just before his eyes rolled back and his senses floated into blissful oblivion…

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"Ron! Ron!" the anxious voice sounded very far away.

"Ron! Oh please wake up!"

"Hermione?" he said groggily.

"Oh thank goodness…I was so worried!"

Ron struggled to sit up slowly. He focused his eyes rather painfully and looked around. "Where are we?"

"-we've got to get out of here Ron," said Hermione and hastened to pull him up, when a small voice interrupted them…

"Who-who's there?"

A shriveling old man, completely bald, with a long white beard appeared to their left. He had his hands spread out before him slightly, as if he was feeling his way around…

A low snarling to their right, however, drew their attention from the man. Between two splendid pillars, in the shadow of an archway, shone two very yellow, very angry eyes…they stood out in the darkness like jewels in a velvet case.

Hermione unconsciously backed into Ron.

The snarl then broke out into a full, fierce growl, growing louder as the beast stepped closer…

They watched, horrified, as the creature stepped into the dimly lit hall.

The huge St. Bernard then started to bark wildly at them.

"There now, down boy!"

_Woof?_

"You don't want to scare off our guests- down I say!"

The great dog whimpered and slinked away.

"Don't mind my dog" the old man said, turning to them "he's just mad…Now, I'm really glad you could join us- we are always expecting someone for tea."

"-er- we'd really love to stay" spoke Hermione, "but we should be getting back to the castle…"

"Castle you say? Well my dear, this one's just as fine as any you'll find!" he guffawed pleasantly.

"you bet" said Ron, looking a mite awed at the sheer enormity of the place… "by the way, who are you?"

"I'm Joe. Joe Blind. And if you're wondering, yes, I_ am_ blind."

"Oh" said Hermione softly. "Do you live here?"

"Why yes. This is my home… and you are my _honorary _guests! Now, if you will, I_ insist_ you stay for tea…"

"No, really, I wish we could, but we can't." Ron said, glancing at Hermione.

"Rubbish! Of course you can…now tell me, what are your names?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged a quizzical glance before complying.

The old man seemed so persistent about tea after the rather awkward pleasantries, that there was nothing they could do but accept.

"So Miss Granger- Mr. Weasley- is it?" he continued after Ron's affirmation, "charming couple, I'm sure."

"-er- we're not a couple" Ron interjected quickly.

But the man didn't seem to hear, he only turned around dramatically and flouncing his hand about vaguely, continued as if there had been no interruption. "_Ah_ young love!..." he sighed contently, "Always a soft spot for me…"

"Really, Mr. Blind-" began a rather rosy cheeked Hermione.

"But never mind that" Joe went on "now, do let me show you around the castle..._if_ that's alright with you." he added, looking back at them inquiringly.

Ron shrugged. "-er-"

Taking that to indicate a yes, the man smiled brightly at them and turned to lead the way.

Hermione looked doubtful.

"Keep your wand at the ready Ron," she whispered.

"You won't need your wands!" came a gruff voice from behind, startling them both. They turned around to face an incredibly large man, looking down scornfully at them.

"They're useless here!" he scoffed.

"Brutus!" cried Joe. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you to keep that_ mad_ dog of yours out of my way! Or I might just chuck him into the moat next time he comes anywhere near my foot! I've got my duty to do and no one's going to stop me!" saying so, he sent Ron and Hermione another severe glare before he turned and left.

"Big fella." Ron remarked, "Beats Hagrid, I guess"

"Brutus. The gatekeeper." Said Joe "Never really liked the guy. Very _intense,_ if I may say so. Brown!" he called out…

A second later, a tall, lean, bald man in a black tailored suit, appeared from a doorway half hidden behind a large sculpture of a damsel holding a bouquet of flowers, reaching out to a boy who sat on a rock above her.

"Yes Joe, what can I do for you?" asked Mr. Brown, in a grave voice.

"The dog's gone and done it again! Would you please, just put him back in his cage? before Brutus does anything _drastic,_ like declare war!"

The butler smiled wryly. "I shall do that."

"I don't know what I would have done without you Brown…wouldn't you like to meet our guests?"

Brown nodded to Ron and Hermione as Joe introduced them and without further ado, proceeded to do what he had promised.

"I'd trust him with my life, I would!" Joe said, after the retreating form of Mr. Brown. He cleared his throat "Now, where were we?...ah, yes! The castle. If you'd be so kind, Miss Granger, just touch my arm now and then. I'd like to be sure I don't walk into anything that mad dog left lying around."

Hermione smiled. Then remembered he couldn't see it, so said, "of course Mr. Blind," and moved forward to lead him by the arm.

"Joe, dear. Just Joe."

"um- Joe?" Ron spoke "Do you have a leaky faucet here somewhere? I mean, what's with all the fog?"

"The _fog-_ Mr. Weasley?"

"Yeah, I can hardly see the floor, can I? It's covered in- well, fog!"

"Oh! You mean the music!"

Hermione looked around herself. As far as she could see, the castle floor was hidden beneath a thin layer of what appeared to be moving fog, little wisps of which were dancing around her knees.

"_music?_" repeated Ron, "I can't hear anything!"

"Oh yes, you can," smiled Joe. "…_if _you sit down."

Ron tried it. The mist surrounded his head.

"The mistress is very fond of song" Joe told Hermione who watched a slow smile break out over Ron's previously unsure face, as he sat cross-legged and barely visible, on the castle floor. "We have orders to keep the place flooded. If you'll just look out the window, Miss Granger, you'll see there's nothing but song for miles around us."

Hermione walked to the grand French window to her side and peeped out.

Beyond the castle grounds, the bright green lawns of which she could just barely make out, the fog grew so thick, she couldn't say if it were land or sea that surrounded them.

"Mr. Blind, er, Joe, can I ask you something?"

"Of course Miss Granger"

"Where are we?"

Hermione was sure she didn't know what his answer would be, but she certainly didn't expect him to look startled.

"You mean to say, you don't know?" he asked, before he chuckled into his hand.

"What's so funny?" asked Ron, coming to stand by her side, now looking very relaxed.

"I just asked him where we were-" whispered Hermione, frowning a bit.

"Good point." said Ron, peering out the window. "Say, where are we anyway?"

The old man laughed harder "well we're _here,_ aren't we?" He guffawed, then did a merry twirl-of-sort and promptly landed himself with an '_ummph!'_ on the ground.

"Has he gone mad?" asked a bewildered Ron, staring as Hermione rushed forward to help him up.

"Oh no, Miss Granger, not just yet…"he said, brushing off her hand, "I love this song. One of my favorites really…" and he sat up and started to nod in the fog.

Hermione frowned and looked at Ron.

"But I don't understand!" she cried.

"Well_ that's_ saying something," said Ron, earning him an elbow in the ribs.

"This is not the time for jokes, Ron!" she turned him around so that they were now facing the window again.

"_Look._" she ordered.

Ron pressed his face to the glass- "_wow,_ are those- are those _thestrals_?- hold on, I don't think I've seen anyone die as yet!"

Hermione wasn't trying very hard to cover her irritation "they're _horses_ Ron!"

"Horses?-"

"But that's not the point!" she half-shouted "Ron, there's something wrong with this place! If you didn't notice, _there's no sun_!"

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So there's the first chappie! I suppose you are absolutely clueless. But by the end of this story, hopefully you'll appreciate its difference.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: connieewing! I truly am your fan.

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Chapter Two

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Recap :

"_This is not the time for jokes, Ron!" she turned him around so that they were now facing the window again._

"_Look" she ordered._

_Ron pressed his face to the glass- "wow, are those- are those thestrals?- hold on, I don't think I've seen anyone die as yet!"_

_Hermione wasn't trying very hard to cover her irritation "they're horses Ron!"_

"_Horses?-"_

"_But that's not the point!" she half-shouted "Ron, there's something wrong with this place! If you didn't notice, there's no sun!"_

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"_What?-_"

Ron and Hermione stared at each other.

"Did anyone say 'horses'?" sounded a voice by Hermione's shoulder, making her jump.

"Joe!"

"Startled you, did I? Sorry. Now… horses. Oh, yes, horses… Come along you two, I'll show you the stables – oh but don't we have a grand stable! Go on, follow me now…" and Joe turned around and began to count under his breath as he walked.

"4, 5, 6, 7…"

"He doesn't expect us to follow him does he?" asked Ron.

Joe turned around and called out "are you both still standing there?"

"Well, apparently, he does." Ron answered himself, then followed a hesitant Hermione into the dark corridor, where Joe Blind was standing.

"36, 37, 38…"

"What's he counting? The pictures?" asked a curious Ron.

"Don't be silly! Can't you see he's blind? He's counting his steps…"

"_Oh_"

"61, 62, 63…"

The corridor led them to a large circular room – bare, except for a small fountain in the middle, illuminated eerily by a thin ray of light that peered through the skylight. Judging from the absence of wall windows and the gloomy depressing ambiance, Hermione suspected this was the heart of the castle.

A single long stemmed rose – sculptured to perfection – arose from the centre of the fountain.

Small drops of water appeared to grow on the grey petals, and as they watched, they slid down the smooth stone before falling off the edge, into the shallow, clear pool at the bottom.

"say, I am a little thirsty!" said the old man and he walked slowly up to the fountain, put his mouth to the edge of a petal and as Ron and Hermione watched curiously, drank exactly, two drops.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked politely.

Ron was quick to answer. "No thanks"

"How about you miss Granger?"

"It-it's not _water_, is it?" she asked carefully stepping closer

"Water? Oh no! Not _water_- but then, you don't know what it is?" he seemed surprised. "Oh well then, I should just let you have a drink and find out, shouldn't I?"

"That's alright," said Hermione, and quickly added, "I wasn't very thirsty anyway…"

Joe smiled at her. "I assure you miss, it is not poison…" he said solemnly.

Hermione regarded Joe Blind warily.

"You're sure it isn't harmful?" Her throat _did_ seem a little parched…

"You are _not_ going to drink that Hermione!" came Ron's voice in her ear.

"Harmful!" repeated Joe "-of course not! –Er-Well- there _was_ this man- he visited me a while ago. You see, he drank this- _water_ as you call it, and he really didn't seem like he was going to stop- so I tried to pull him away- now, I'm not trying to scare you dear, - its just that, he didn't stop drinking and then suddenly, he'd lost his head I think, quite upset he was, he pushed me away…and…and I heard Mrs. Hope scream- 'he jumped out the window Joe! Oh! Joe, he _jumped_-'…"

"What happened to him?" asked Ron a bit too eagerly.

"Well, we _are_ on the seventh floor…"

"Bloody hell"

"I want to taste it." said Hermione abruptly.

"No!"

"There, there, Mr. Weasley, not to worry, she'll just have a drop" Joe attempted to convince a horrified Ron.

"He's right Ron, I'm sure its not going to kill me."

"No-bloody-way! Have you gone barking mad? You heard him didn't you? You _know_ what it did to that fellow!"

"Calm down Ron! He obviously drank too much…"

"But-but-" Ron spluttered helplessly.

Hermione smiled reassuringly at him.

"I still think you shouldn't do it" said Ron with finality.

Hermione sighed, and stepped forward to the basin and promptly stumbled onto Joe-

"Careful there- oh!"

Something had wound up around her foot…

"Where did_ that_ come from?" cried Ron, pointing to a thick green creeper slowly coiling up around their legs. "It wasnt there before…"

Joe Blind somewhat ineptly, kicked it away. "oh, the _dreadful_ thing!" he complained as he stomped and kicked blindly, "I've tried _everything_, I tell you, but it just -_kick_– wont –_stomp-_ go -_stomp_- away! I'll have to have a word with Mrs. Hope about it- this ivy of envy is driving me positively mad!"

As Ron, Hermione and Joe kicked and stomped away, the cursed plant finally and very unwillingly, withdrew to a dark corner.

Hermione was panting as she spoke. "Ivy of envy, did you say?" she asked Joe.

"Why yes" he replied and moved rather clumsily to the fountain for another drink.

Hermione hesitantly stepped beside the old man.

Ron swore. "Hermione you're crazy!"

But Hermione Granger had already let the crystal drop fall into her mouth…

The saddest look came over her face for a minute and Ron, too shocked to curse, wondered, an iron fear gripping his heart, just why he hadn't stopped her.

Then suddenly, she smiled and said, "Really, I'm alright…honestly, no one died Ron!"

Just then, a voice cried from behind them "Joe! Joe!-oh!-" the elderly woman stopped running, and stood awkwardly, a few feet in front of them "Joe, you didn't tell me we had guests!"

"Abigail! I've been wondering were you were." The former spoke.

"well, I've just been over the rainbow you see- to find Fanny." Here the woman frowned. "she told me to tell you, she'll be staying over at Mrs. Clouds' today- she's taking another day off."

"Oh dear" Joe remarked, a deep furrow now creasing his brow.

"Oh dear is right!" fretted Abigail "I was hoping this wouldn't happen! What do you suppose we do with our guests?"

"Well, I've just been showing them Master Hurt's fountain." Said Joe "And they've agreed to stay for tea. So until you can manage to cook something up, I'll just continue showing them around, shall I?"

"Yes, I suppose so," agreed the woman "I'll- oh! But what a shame, I didn't introduce myself, did I? I'm Mrs. Hope by the way," she said, shaking first Hermione, then Ron by the hand and smiling warmly at them "I hope you like the castle."

Ron smiled weakly.

"You see, Mrs. Hope is in charge of supervision and decoration." Filled in Joe.

"A little unsure about herself," he added when she had left "but never quite gives up you know, I like her for that….though I do think it downright naughty of Fanny! Why I have half a mind to give her a right good spanking!"

(Ron suppressed a chuckle here.)

"Fanny - Fantasy Braid, you know, our cook. To run away like that! She does make the most delicious dishes though…I'm sorry you couldn't meet her. She's very nice, if you'd just overlook her flightiness."

"I'm sure," agreed Hermione.

"And if my calculations are correct," Joe continued, "I think we should now be heading that way- to the stables" he gestured to their left. "Come on then…1, 2, 3, 4…." Joe Blind started walking again.

"…36, 37, 38… don't stand too long at the pictures now, or we won't catch the stable boy Will, before his nap- I'm always telling him to drop that habit!- but I suppose there's just no one who can break that boy's will!"

They stepped out into the open air at last.

"Will!" Joe called out

A few yards ahead of them, behind a wooden fence, stood a tall, proud black stallion.

"Wow" exclaimed Ron.

Hermione observed the horse in muted awe "he's beautiful!" she declared.

"Yes ma'am, he is." Said a boyish voice "Aren't you Beauty?"

The horse neighed and playfully reared away from them…

"The way he acts- you'd think Beauty was just vain" laughed the boy "I'm Will Somers. In charge of the stables."

"Where's the mare?" asked Joe, coming around and sounding a little anxious.

"She's over there-" Will pointed to where a splendid white horse stood grazing lazily.

Will whistled to the animal "come here, Promise, there's someone here I'd like you to meet…"

The mare came trotting over.

Ron watched wide-eyed, as the horse put its nose into Will's hand and licked it.

"They don't- er- bite, do they?"

Hermione, Joe and Will Somers stared at Ron a moment, before bursting into a fit of laughter.

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"I say, I'm starting to get a little hungry" confessed Joe.

Hermione smiled sheepishly as she agreed with him. As for Ron, his stomach decided to do the talking, which elicited a classic roll of the eyes from his aforementioned friend.

They followed Joe down a lane to the kitchens.

"…45, 46, 47…" Joe stopped to sniff the air. "oh dear! We didn't see the garden did we?" said Joe disappointedly as they passed the greenhouses. "We have the most _exquisite_ roses….there's Persian, Venezuelan, Armenian, Artic,…" he began counting on his fingers.

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In the kitchen, they were treated to a minor feast.

Only, the tea tasted like exotic wine and the cookies and cake left your mouth all tingly and made you want to tap your feet…

Joe, on the other hand, was actually dancing, after he took a bite of apple pie.

Ron and Hermione were careful to skip the pie.

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"Shall I show you to your rooms then?" asked Joe Blind suddenly, after tea.

"Our rooms? No, Joe, I think you misunderstood. We are not staying." Said Ron.

"Nonsense! You can't leave."

Hermione frowned. "Joe," she attempted "we did stay for tea and I think it's getting rather late now- I really think we should be going."

"Can you apparate from here?" asked Ron.

"Young man, I'm quite sure I don't understand you!" said a bemused Joe. "Come now, don't be silly, and let me show you to your rooms…"

"What-" Ron began to shout, when Hermione restrained him with a light touch on his arm.

"Ron, I hate to say this- but I think we might be in some trouble here." she whispered.

"_Trouble_? Bloody right you are! I don't know how I ended up here, what's worse, I don't know how to leave!...er, Hermione, what _are_ you doing?"

Hermione was standing stiff and erect before Ron, growing steadily redder in the face.

"_I'm – trying – to - apparate _- "

_POOF!_

She let out the breath she had been holding. "It doesn't work."

"Maybe we should just ask him how to leave…" she pondered.

"Maybe we should just ask him where we are." countered Ron.

Since a mutual agreement was now in order, - "Joe!" they cried together.

But Joe Blind wasn't there anymore.

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A/n: still clueless? Don't worry, the final chapter's on its way…

By the way, if you have any suggestions on my writing style, I'm all ears…


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: thank you giddygirlie! For pointing out some _very _silly mistakes on my part. Well, just forgive me k, coz I got carried away with the plot a bit… I've made some corrections in the previous chapters. No major changes, so no worries...

Now without further ado…

I give you- the final installment of _An Allegory._

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Chapter Three

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Recap:

"_I'm – trying – to - apparate - "_

_POOF!_

_She let out the breath she had been holding. "It doesn't work."_

"_Maybe we should just ask him how to leave…" she pondered._

"_Maybe we should just ask him where we are." countered Ron._

_Since a mutual agreement was now in order, - "Joe!" they cried together._

_But Joe Blind wasn't there anymore._

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They found him standing in a patch of moonlight, on an open terrace, softly humming to himself.

"Joe!"

"Ah! _The lovers_." He cried happily, turning to face them.

"Really!-" said Hermione, flushing.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" asked Ron a bit harshly, stubbornly refusing to hide his annoyance.

Joe, however, didn't quite cotton on to Ron's apparent discomfort and asked lightly, "tell me, Mr. Weasley, what do you see above you?" he gestured leisurely to the sky.

Ron just seemed to get angrier.

"You- tell- me, Mr. Blind. Tell me just_ where_ under the bloody sky are we?"

"Why, you seem upset Mr. Weasley!"

Ron was about to answer tartly when Hermione stopped him with an effort and sighing, as she rubbed her temple, turned to Joe.

"You see, he's just… a little panicked."

"Oh! Oh dear!" exclaimed Joe, raising a hand to his heart, a look of deep anxiety on his wrinkled face. "He must be spooked! Miss Granger- you-you didn't step into the Big Red Room did you?"

"The big red room?"

"That's where she lives!" Joe breathed in a conspiring whisper.

"Who lives?"

"The ghost of Pretty Panic!"

Ron made an odd strangled noise in his throat. He then jammed his balled fists into his pockets and walked away to stand by the railing, his back to them.

"She often haunts the castle at night." Joe continued "I suppose she got to your lover quite quickly."

"_TSH_ – he's _not_ my lover!"

Joe looked taken aback. "Surely, then you expect him to be…"

"That's not the point!- Joe, could you _please,_ tell us where we are?"

Joe looked queerly at her. Then, he smiled…in a paternal sort of way.

"Tell me Miss Granger," he pointed to the sky, "what do you see?"

Hermione looked up into the darkening heavens. "Well… stars, I suppose…"

Joe nodded. "But not quite….you see, a long time ago, my mistress fell in love with a young man. I wouldn't know the details now, because she would only share them with her friend Sylvia. Sylvia Secret. The thing is, she had to go away for a few days… so she gave Miss Secret a letter. She told Sylvia not to open it and to give it to her lover when he would come at night…but we are all only _human_ after all, and I suppose curiosity got the better of her- she opened the letter …and _everything _came spilling out."

Joe sighed dramatically before continuing "Of course, Sylvia was embarrassed. She hid herself away after that…still around here somewhere, I'd like to think. Though, if you'd want to meet her, you should probably ask the chambermaid Miss Shylin. But that young lady is just as hard to find, I'm afraid- stays away from visitors, she does. Funny creature-"

Joe stopped to ponder.

"What was in the letter Joe?" asked Hermione softly.

"The letter? Why, kisses…" he answered, and smiled as he raised his face skyward "millions and_ millions_ of'em there were in the letter…and they floated up …and up…andup - and_ there_ they are now-" he pointed to the stars.

Ron swore loudly.

"_Listen_", he said in a dangerously low voice, as he turned around and walked toward them. He tripped over his feet in his anguish, and steadied himself again before continuing venomously "_I- don't- like- you_."

Joe looked astounded.

"Ron!-" shouted Hermione, coming to stand quickly between the two men. "Stop it!"

Ron apparently, had other ideas.

"And you wouldn't like me either- when I'm _really_ mad-"

"Come on!" cried Hermione, now pushing Ron backwards and hastily apologizing to Joe.

"Shall we just go inside somewhere and _talk _about this?" she suggested.

After a very pregnant pause, Ron grunted.

"Yes, yes of course" said Joe, "follow me then-"

And he began to retrace his steps into the castle.

"He's mad," said Ron to Hermione. "And so are you- for staying to listen to that gibberish while we should just be trying to get back to Hogwarts!"

"_Shush_ Ron! He'll hear you! And I really don't think he means any harm…"

"_Harm?_ Of course not! Only, I think if he'd go on being so very _nice_, we're going to be stuck here for the rest of our damn lives!"

"You're panicking again! You can't see it, can you Ron?"

"See what exactly? That we're just completely, utterly and stupidly_ lost_? Yeah, I see that, I can- bloody- see only that!"

"Oh shut up! If you'll only listen Ron-"

"You're always telling me to do that, but guess what? It NEVER works!"

She poked him in the shoulder. Hard.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Shut up!" she ordered "and just listen for a minute!"

"Ok- _sheesh_ –it's not like you had to hit me for that! …Could've just asked _nicely_."

"Right. Now I want you, to act nice to Joe."

"No- _bloody_ –way! He's a nutter."

Hermione fixed him with a beady eye.

"Do you want to get out of here or not?-" she began passionately.

"Ok.ok. Alright…." Ron quickly conceded, holding up his hands in defeat, "I'll _try_…. to just shut up."

"yes." sighed Hermione "and_ promise _me you won't say anything rude or _act _rude or do_ anything_ to upset him while I'm working on this?"

Ron looked unsure.

"Well?"

"Alright" he agreed finally, albeit rather grudgingly.

"He's a sweet guy, really" said Hermione.

Ron did a double take. "Hold on- you're not going to _seduce _him are you?"

"RON!"

"What-what happened? What is it Miss Granger?" came Joe's anxious voice from a few yards ahead of them.

"Nothing" Ron called back. "She just got- umm, _scared_ – I think. It's fine. We're fine." He carefully avoided Hermione's death glare.

"Oh dear!" said Joe "I lost count! Could you tell me where we're standing?"

Ron looked around him….they were in another corridor.

The flickering light from an overhead lantern drew his attention to a painting on the stone wall.

He looked more closely at it, gasped and then whistled, long and low…

"Oh, I know!" cried Joe, with an almost boyish grin breaking out over his wrinkled face. "Yes, young men seem to find it particularly _striking_. You see the painting, Miss Granger? It's my mistress. Painted the very day she was born!"

Ron chuckled. "But that's impossible"

"Yes, I've heard it's a _marvelous _painting- I beg your pardon, what did you just say?"

"I said that's impossible" repeated Ron, gazing in outright wonder at the still painting before his eyes- that of a shy, beautiful woman, with very long hair, standing on an upturned shell that was floating in a serene, navy sea…

Below the painting was a golden plate, engraved with the words '_The Birth Of Venus – By Sandro Botticelli'_

"She's definitely nota _baby_…" Ron remarked "…and she's completely _starkers_!"

"Honestly Ron!" said Hermione, whose cheeks were rather rosy. However, she continued to bravely examine the work of art.

"I mean, how could that be painted the same day she was born? Or you mean to say she was born that way?" asked Ron, obviously very confused.

"Young man, you do ask the silliest questions!" laughed Joe "of course the mistress was born that way!"

Ron stared at the man, and then gave Hermione an _I-told-you-so_ look, which she ignored.

"Joe," she asked somewhat breathlessly, "how- how old are you?"

"Funny you should ask but, I'm seventeen."

"I beg your pardon!" Ron said, his brows rising up to disappear in his hair.

"I'm seventeen." Repeated Joe impassively "and so is my dog Mad, come to think of it…"

"_Of course_!" cried Hermione, looking suddenly very bright and cheerful.

Curiously, Ron had a very bad itch in his palm.

"Of course you're seventeen!" Hermione laughed, "and so is Mrs. Hope, Miss Fantasy… Brutus, Mr. brown, er, Miss Secret, …Shylin- um- Will, even the horses- beauty and promise!- _seventeen_!"

"Yes. You're quite right Miss Granger." Agreed Joe, smiling politely at her, wondering what it was he had said, that pleased her so.

Hermione turned and beamed at Ron.

"So I guess you finally know how to get us out of here," he said expressionlessly.

"No."

He gaped. "Then what can you _possibly _be so happy about?"

Hermione just grinned very foolishly and hugged him. "I can't believe it!" she cried.

Ron sighed and mumbled "I hate this part-" Hermione hastily drew away in his arms, but he held her back- "no, not that part-" he reassured her, ears turning slightly red.

Her uncertainty soon melted away and he said, "I meant, I hate the part where…I don't get it."

She smiled up at him adoringly.

"Ron don't you see?" she spoke softly, as a teacher would speak to a child on the first day of school, "They're all here-blindness, madness, hope and fantasy…" she made sure to stress every word "…trust, hurt, secrets and shyness, panic, beauty, will and promise- do you see now?"

She cupped his face in her hands and spoke slowly, gently… "Ron, _I'm_ here! _You _are here!"

She pulled him down again, for a tender hug. "I may not know how to get out of here Ron," she whispered into his ear, "but I finally know where we are!"

Ron's head swam with the sudden dawn of revelation.

"_wicked_!" he whispered, and feeling a tad bit odd voicing his next few words- "we're in _love_…"

Then he felt it- a _WHACK!_ at the back of his head…and before he knew it, he was slipping fast into sweet oblivion.

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A/n: I told you I like metaphors. Ok, just think about this-

if you could _house_ love somewhere, where would it be?

Options-

a) a cave by the sea

b) a five star hotel in the city

c) a castle in the countryside

a cookie for you if you guessed what I chose:)

my sister ( elixirgurl ) read this story first. After she figured it out, she read it again & said…'hey, there's so much little detail here I missed in the first reading!'

I suppose that's what happens when its – well, _An Allegory_.

And if you've come this far, I don't think it'll hurt to review. I've worked pretty hard on this and I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. so tell me what you think!

P.s : _The Birth Of Venus – By Sandro Botticelli, _is a real painting, based on a greek myth. It tells of how Venus, the Godess of love & beauty, was born in the sea & blown to shore on a shell by the wind. Botticelli was one of the greatest Florentine painters and an interpreter of _Neo-Platonism, which_ is a theory that combined ancient mythology, Greek philosophy & Christianity to explain God, beauty & truth.


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